When you see a player’s knee buckle, you’re bound to assume the worst. Each time feels like a wheel-spin of uncertainty–is it gonna be the ACL? Meniscus? The cartilage? No one knows. So when Breanna Stewart, after her Game 1 scare, clarified that, “Structurally, everything looks okay,” fans breathed a sigh of relief. The WNBA doesn’t need another long-term injury to one of its biggest stars, and the playoffs are just getting started!

Here’s the thing: Stewart’s injury could make or break the Liberty’s entire postseason. They might be reigning champions, but the other teams aren’t messing around this year–they’re playing to dominate, not just win. So obviously, New York needs to be at full strength, especially against a frontcourt-dominated team like the Mercury. Otherwise, Sabally and Thomas will make them regret even standing inside the paint.

And even though everything looks okay, there’s no guarantee that Stewart will take the court. However, Phoenix’s head coach, Nate Tibbetts, isn’t willing to take any chances. In the pre-game media availability, he confessed that he’s been planning for Stewart’s inevitable return. “We’ve been planning on that.” He said after a reporter asked if he thinks the NY Liberty star will play in the second game. “You don’t want to see anybody be injured, right? And I’m glad it was nothing serious. So, yeah, I hope she feels comfortable and is confident.”

But what has Tibbetts been cooking up? Considering his experience and the talent at his disposal, it’s clear that the Mercury HC is plotting something major. While he didn’t reveal his entire game plan before the matchup, he did let something slip. “Part of what made us good is our transition.” He said, and when you look at the stats, it makes a lot of sense! Phoenix registered 20 fast-break points in Game 1 as compared to New York’s 11, and were much quicker than them in transition.

The scary thing? They can be even better. Phoenix wasn’t able to convert a lot of its fast-breaks into made baskets, so there’s a lot of room for improvement. And if that doesn’t pan out? Nate Tibbetts has another idea up his sleeve. “So we’re gonna look for those shots. We didn’t make a lot of them, so it felt like it was probably more than we’ve had. But yeah, if we don’t like the shot, we need to play the second side.” Or basically, they’re gonna go after the weak side and swing the ball around.

When they put their mind to it, the Phoenix team is incredible at generating offense. They’re a higher seed than New York this time around, which puts a lot of pressure on the Liberty. But there’s going to be one advantage for Sandy Brondello and her squad–they’re gonna be playing at home for Game 2. Not to mention, it does seem like Breanna Stewart will end up braving the unknown for her team’s playoff chances going forward. Let’s take a look at what’s happening in New York a few hours before game time.

Breanna Stewart’s homecourt advantage might decide round 1 of the playoffs

According to all recent reports, there’s a high chance that Breanna Stewart will be taking the court today against Phoenix. It was a scary sight to see the six-foot-four forward crying on the bench last game, thinking her playoff run was over. Play-by-play and recaps describe Stewart landing awkwardly on her left knee after a foul by Sabally (3:01 left in OT), missing the free throw, attempting to play through pain for about 54 seconds, then subbing out at 2:07. She appeared in visible pain and was emotional. Luckily, that’s not the case! The New York Liberty star has been diagnosed with a “sprained MCL”, and her participation in Game 2 is all but confirmed.

So, what are the odds looking like? Well, it’s a home game for New York, so it’s pretty easy to predict that they might win. After all, we saw it in the Indiana versus Atlanta series yesterday–it’s impossible to plan for tens of thousands of fans rallying against the touring team. ESPN’s matchup predictor has given the Liberty a 75.7% chance of winning this game, spelling trouble for the Phoenix Mercury.

New York is already one-nil up in the series, and if Breanna Stewart takes the court, they’ll be at full strength yet again. It’s already tough to compete with the defending champions, much less when they’re playing at home. However, Stewart’s injury might open up some interesting avenues for Phoenix to exploit and use.

If Alyssa Thomas, Natasha Mack, and Satou Sabally can keep up the defensive pressure all night, it will most definitely lead to a bunch of turnovers for the Liberty. After all, even if Stewart is coming in on a minutes restriction, there’s no way Brondello will trust anyone else with the crucial moments. Put pressure on the six-foot-four center at the right time, and the Mercury might pull away with something majestic.

However, that’s not likely. Although the Liberty star is dealing with an MCL issue, she has years of experience and a metric ton of accolades behind her. At one point, experience will overrule strategy. Tune in for the second game of this playoff series, and watch New York go to work while we bring you all the latest updates.